Welcome to this special e-newsletter from Bet Tzedek - The House of Justice. In this holiday season, we would like to share with you eight wonderful stories from the past year. Your support of Bet Tzedek allows us keep fighting the good fight against injustice.
We know that many of you like to make donations this holiday season in honor of co-workers, friends and loved ones.To make this experience more rewarding this year, we are now offering gift donations. One hundred percent of your donation will go to Bet Tzedek and we'll send a nice DVD gift to anyone of your choice. More >>
We hope you enjoy reading about the clients we have helped this year because of your support. Happy Holidays.
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Time-Limited One-Year Holocaust Services Advocate
New Staff:
Lizbeth K. Alvarez
Legal Secretary
Terese Bledsoe
Legal Secretary
Greg Deogard
Computer Systems Manager
Pegah Kamrava
Staff Attorney
Carolina Krawiec
Social Justice Fellow
Bertha Sanchez
Hearing Representative
Pura S. Vistal
Accounting Manager
Helping Another Generation Find Safety through Bet Tzedek
In fear for their lives, Mirasol and Inocencio fled El Salvador during the Civil War after being persecuted for their beliefs. As new American citizens, the young couple settled in Los Angeles, proud to raise their 
growing family with safety and freedom. This fall, their grandson called them, scared, saying that his stepfather had been abusing him and he wanted to run away.
Mirasol and Inocencio immediately contacted Bet Tzedek’s Kinship Care Project for help in providing safety for another generation. Our advocates helped Mirasol and Inocencio file for legal guardianship, be recognized as guardians by the school system, and most importantly keep their grandson out of the foster case system. In a few weeks, the courts will acknowledge their hard work and kindness, and empower this family with the legal means to stay safe and stay together.
Unfortunately, when grandparents or siblings step in to be parents, schools and hospitals often do not recognize these alternative parent-child relationships and caregivers find themselves powerless and voiceless. Bet Tzedek advocates work hard to find these families before they have been separated, and provide them with the tools they need to stay together.
As a child in Hungary, Hannah T. was a forced slave laborer for Nazis who had stolen her family’s home, their family business, and all their possessions before they eventually killed her entire family. Suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Hannah struggled to survive in a new country but was never able to thrive. Now in her 80’s, Hannah lives a precarious existence in low-income assisted living.
The Hungarian government has never remunerated Hannah for the loss of her family or their property. She was brought to Bet Tzedek by a Jewish Family Service social worker, who had read Hungary recently reopened the application period for payments to survivors and knew that any extra money could help her client remain alive.
Bet Tzedek advised Hannah she should indeed apply for reparations payments. One of Bet Tzedek’s volunteer attorneys, Robert Shenfeld, Esq., from ReedSmith, helped her file the complex paperwork. Robert is only one of more than 300 Bet Tzedek volunteers who provided individualized assistance to more than 350 Holocaust survivors this year. In total, Bet Tzedek filed more than 1,200 applications on behalf of survivors.
More about Bet Tzedek's Holocaust Reparations Program
Bet Tzedek Wins Justice for Sweatshop Worker
Each payday for Nathan C. was a source of pain, and a reminder of overwhelming injustice. Although he worked double shifts for over two years at a downtown sweatshop, the sweatshop owner repeatedly broke the law and refused to pay Nathan an astounding $12,000 in rightful minimum wage and overtime salary.
For Nathan, this violation of his civil rights resulted in daily hardships—he worked hard without a paycheck, and he lived in poverty as a result. Meanwhile, the sweatshop owner thrived.
When Nathan brought his problem to Bet Tzedek, our attorneys worked quickly to bring his case to justice. Not realizing the strength of Nathan’s representation, the sweatshop owner arrived at the hearing with an insignificant settlement offer. However, when the Bet Tzedek lawyers commenced the hearing and presented evidence of the owner's doctored time cards and falsified pay stubs, the situation changed dramatically. Faced with evidence of illegal activity, the sweatshop owner agreed during the hearing to pay Nathan his rightful wages.
Bet Tzedek wins cases because we offer extremely powerful advocacy and support to people who need it most—people who are too often seen as “easy targets” of exploitation. Nathan is now able to care for his family, and the sweatshop owner learned an important lesson.
More about Bet Tzedek's Employment Rights Project
Bernice has always been resourceful—her careful planning and creative thinking has allowed her severely autistic daughter to grow up closely cared for in a loving home, rather than being placed in a long term care facility. The two women have barely survived on their small social security income, but they’ve stayed together for over thirty years.
This October, Bernice was elated to realize that her small cottage had grown valuable enough to support the two of them for the next thirty years. But when Bernice tried to sell her home, she discovered an outstanding lien against her property for nearly $5,000—almost half her annual income. When she went to pick up their weekly allotment of food items from the SOVA food pantry, she confided her situation to a Bet Tzedek advocate.
Our advocate began immediately—within a week, the wrongful lien was dismissed and Bernice was able to sell her home, and soon she and her daughter will no longer have to depend on the food pantry for their meals. Bet Tzedek partners with SOVA and four other service agencies in a unique collaboration called Community Connections. The Jewish Federation's Alleviating Jewish Poverty Initiative funds Community Connections.
Identity Theft: Justice for a Senior who was Exploited by a Credit Card Company
Jaclyn Rosenson, a law student at Pepperdine, volunteered at Bet Tzedek because she wanted to help her fellow Angelenos while learning more about public interest law. Thanks to her efforts, a 75-year-old man successfully fought against identity theft and received nearly $3,000 from an unscrupulous creditor.
In 2004, our client disputed a balance transfer of $8,000 on his credit card. At the time, the company informed him that, in order not to jeopardize his account, he had to make payments on the disputed balance while they investigated.
Our client made some payments and waited to hear of the investigation’s results. After a few months, our client stopped sending payments. Immediately, the creditor began sending demand letters and calling our client to receive payments. Meanwhile, the “investigation” found that the disputed transaction was not fraudulent because some payments were made!
Then, Jaclyn began advocating for our client. She contacted the fraud investigator and pushed them to reopen their investigation.
After a further review, the creditor sent a letter stating that the client was not responsible for the balance transfer BUT that he had "previously received a credit for the disputed item." Jaclyn knew this wasn’t the case and continued to call the investigator to discuss the refund. Her work literally paid off when our client recently received a check for the full amount he had paid towards the fraudulent transaction--$2,809.
More about Bet Tzedek's Consumer Fraud Program
Skirball Partnership: Reaching 2,500 Seniors a Year with Education and Self-Empowerment
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“Bet Tzedek presents bi-weekly at the Skirball Center, providing crucial information to help empower seniors to make informed decisions about their future…" |
Bet Tzedek is the exclusive provider of free legal services to seniors in L.A. County, so it is no surprise that the Skirball Cultural Center selected us to partner in their bi-weekly Lifespan program. Every two weeks, the Skirball Center provides full transportation to and from the museum for about 100 seniors in the community. Upon arrival, Bet Tzedek staff provides the seniors with relevant education to improve their lives, namely information on advance health care directives, consumer fraud, and estate planning. Afterwards, they are treated to a full-access tour of the collection, a private viewing of the featured film, and
lunch. During lunch, Bet Tzedek staff interacts with participants, answering questions one-on-one. As Wendy Marantz Levine, our Deputy Director of Litigation explains, “Our topics relate to seniors regardless of finances, health, or background…We empower them to make informed decisions about their future.”
Through the Lifespan program, Bet Tzedek is able to educate almost 2500 seniors per year. Our participation helps ensure that their remaining years are free of the deceit and disappointment to which so many seniors fall prey. Bet Tzedek’s commitment to senior awareness and assistance has not wavered for over three decades. Bet Tzedek’s and Skirball’s work together is just one way that both organizations, while rooted in Jewish values, reach the entire Los Angeles community.
25 Years of Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents: NHAP Saved Tina's Wedding Ring... Just One Example of its Unique Role in California
Because Jody Spiegel works for Bet Tzedek’s Nursing Home Advocacy Project (NHAP), Tina S. will again wear the wedding ring that her husband of 59 years gave to her.
NHAP is the only project of its kind in California. Focused on the needs of residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, NHAP protects more than 100 clients annually from physical abuse, financial exploitation, and mistreatment. It helps clients like Tina S., whose wedding ring went missing from her nursing home. The ring’s stones were from Tina's grandmother, and the ring had enormous sentimental value to Tina. Loss and theft in nursing homes are unfortunately common occurrences, as is a facility's refusal to reimburse the resident. Thanks to Jody Spiegel, NHAP’s Director and one of the State's leading experts in the legal issues governing long-term care facilities, Tina received full payment for the value of the ring. She now will have the ring re-made exactly as it was, and her husband plans to “re-propose” soon.
During 2006, NHAP also advocated for hundreds of bedridden residents who were being forced to move just when they were most vulnerable. Ron M., a terminally ill patient, asked Jody for help after he was being evicted from his assisted living facility. The L.A. Fire Department refused to issue bedridden fire clearances and so the facility couldn’t continue to care for Ron. NHAP learned that the L.A.F.D. was the only department in California refusing to issue these clearances. NHAP determined that the L.A.F.D.’s actions violated state and federal laws designed to allow terminally ill patients, like Ron, to remain in their homes as long as possible. NHAP’s advocacy forced the L.A.F.D. to change its policies, effective immediately. This means that Ron, and the many other patients like him, will not face eviction when their health fails.
NHAP celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006. Over that time, NHAP represented more than 2,000 clients and reached more than 150,000 families through educational workshops and publications. The Assisted Living Companion, our new consumer guide regarding resident rights and the laws and practices of assisted living facilities, will be available on this website and through Bet Tzedek.
Conservatorship: Reforming an Industry... Saving Thousands of Seniors
Last November, a four-part series in The Los Angeles Times focused attention on the deplorable condition of the state’s conservatorship industry. Throughout 2006, Bet Tzedek staff worked to dramatically improve the system. For one young family, a conservatorship offers hope for a better tomorrow.
In late January, after a three-year wait for a visa, a 26-year-old woman from Bangladesh arrived in the United States to join her husband who was living and working here. In March, she learned that she was pregnant and she and her husband eagerly anticipated their first child. Then, April brought tragedy. Her husband lapsed into a coma from a rare brain disease, from which he has yet to emerge.
For months, she was unable to do anything for her husband. She could not make medical decisions for him (such as moving him to a facility closer to their home) or even deal with his creditors (he had purchased a car before the misfortune). Her new surroundings brought cultural paralysis and dismay.
She came to Bet Tzedek for help in obtaining a conservatorship over her husband and his estate. Our assistance allowed her to regain hope. Now she and her new baby boy, whom she gave birth to in November, can live a healthy and happy life in the country she once saw as full of possibilities.
Bet Tzedek’s expertise in conservatorships was recently recognized by the California Equal Access Fund, which has funded a unique partnership between the organization and the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse. Bet Tzedek and LASC will create the state’s first self-help clinic for conservatorships. Over the next year, Bet Tzedek staff will help hundreds of individuals to file for conservatorships. The result? Families that get the protections and security they need to care for their loved ones.